PHILIPPINES: NERI, LOZADA ADVISED NOT TO BE AFRAID TO TELL THE TRUTH

Commission on Higher Education chairman Romulo Neri
and Philippine Forest Corporation president Rodolfo
Lozada, Jr. were advised yesterday by Minority Leader
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. not to be afraid to tell the
truth about the ZTE contract on the national broadband
network (NBN) project and to stop acting like former
Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn Bolante who is still in
hiding due to his refusal to face the Senate on the
fertilizer fund scam.

Pimentel said what Neri and Lozada should be afraid of
is the condemnation of the public by being part of the
sinister plot to cover up the ZTE-NBN scandal, and not
the risk of incurring the ire of Malacañang and of
being yanked out of their government posts in the
process.

“My advice to them is to tell the truth. If they have
not done any wrongdoing, as what they insist, then
there is no reason why they should run away and not
testify in the Senate inquiry,” he said.

“If they lose their jobs, that is not the end of the
world for them. The Arroyo administration will not be
in power forever. Perhaps they should be more
concerned of their own reputation. What name and
legacy will they leave to their children?”

Neri was the director general of the National Economic
and Development Authority when the government awarded
the $329 million NBN project to China’s ZTE Corp.
Lozada served as consultant to Secretary Neri who
advised him on the technical aspects of the project.

Both Neri and Lozada were cited for contempt and
ordered arrested by the Senate for ignoring the
Senate’s summons to testify in the probe.

Noting that Neri in particularly was peeved over the
senators’ statement that he has become a fugitive,
Pimentel reminded him that the Senate is only trying
to uphold the rule of law and to impose sanctions on
those who show disrespect and defiance of the Senate.

He emphasized the Senate does not intend to arrest and
keep Neri and Lozada under its custody but only wants
to hear their side on several unanswered questions on
the NBN project.

On Mr. Lozada, Pimentel said he was told that this
agency head is a prayerful person who had earlier
supposedly agreed to testify on the case, probably
because he is bothered by his conscience.

He noted that Lozada reportedly flew to London via
Hong Kong on the day of his testimony last week
pursuant to a travel order issued by the secretary of
environment and natural resources. But the purpose of
his trip was unclear.
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